Aspen

Twenty five

Ryder:

She stands at the doorway. I see her through the window. The slight silhouette of her. She's there. I turned around to see her standing there. In the same outfit I saw her before she left, but there's one difference.

Her lips are bruised. As if she kissed someone. Great, I dropped down on the bed. Sat up against the headboard and she followed sitting down next to me and placed her head on my shoulder.

I waited for her. I couldn't sleep without knowing she was ok. But now I wished I did. I didn't have to witness what ever happened. I smelt the alcohol and the man's aftershave on her.

"Who did you kiss?" I finally say. She lifts up and stares at me. "Don't make me sound like a fool, Darling. Your lips are bruised." I wipe my thumb over her lips. "You smell of a man's aftershave." I reminded her. Telling her how she smells and not the sweet lavender that I always loved to smell.

"So, tell me. Tell me who you kissed." She sighed against me. Pain flooded through her eyes. She was shaking against me as she remembered what had happened. There was a massive war in them. To see if she should tell me the truth or not.

"Tell me god dammit. I put everything for you and told you what happened with Catherine. And this what happens." I rolled my eyes. "It was fa-" I rolled my eyes. She finally admits it. "Yeah. I know." I turned to my closet and grabbed some of my clothes. Grabbed my suitcase and opened it.

"It shouldn't even went as fake or even friends with benefits." I stuffed my clothes into the suitcase. "I shouldn't have let you came. I should've left you at the cabin. I shouldn't have worked on your car! I shouldn't even gotten you Power." I snapped at her.

"This is what you have to repay with me." I went over to her. "You wouldn't be needing this anymore." I said grabbing the hat off of her head and placing it on mine.

She stares at me like there's something more than a kiss. Or even a fuck. There's something serious. But she's not admitting it to me. I sighed walking to the door. "Ryder-" I slam the door shut. Cutting off her words. The door opened before I can start walking again.

"Ryder, let me finish." She says. She stares at me. "Someone... someone almost forced themself on me. I don't know who he was." She sighed. A little lie. I can tell by the way her eye flicker. But someone almost forced. I slam my fist on the wall behind me. She knows but won't tell me. Probably knowing my reaction.

I walked over to her. "Please... please tell me who did it." I drop my forehead onto hers. "I have no clue." I rolled my eyes but I let it slide. Knowing she had it hard today. "Wyatt saved me." She whispers. "Wyatt?" I stared at her confused. Wyatt? I know him from rodeo but I haven't spoke to him. "Leon's friend." She shrugged and I nodded.

"He was in the car, and he never drank anything and kept me safe." I nodded. Happy that he was there and stopped who ever it was. I dropped my forehead onto hers. My hat bending from it. Then I remember she was saying it was all fake and shouldn't matter.

"I think we should have a little break, only tonight." I whispered. "I'll come back tomorrow." She nodded. I dropped my head onto her shoulder. I wished she told me to stay. Don't leave. Stay. I'm sorry, I kissed her neck. I still feel her shaking.

I lifted myself back up and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, Darling." I turned to walk down the hallway. Down the six flight of stairs and got to the reception. "Do you have a spare room?" I asked her. "Only for the night." I added and she went on her computer and typed away. "Yes, one hundred and two." I nodded and she grabbed the key, scanned it and passed me it.

I was hoping she would say no. So, I can have an excuse of being in the same room as her. Same bed. Feel her soft body on mine. Smelling her, what was lavender scent.

I walked to my room and opened it. It was just one bed. No sofa. With a desk with all my food. No where to put my clothes if I'm staying a few nights. I want her. I want to be with her right now. I want to feel her. I want to be inside her.

This is what I didn't want. I could tell I'm starting to fall for her. But I have to. I don't know how. Should I stop it? Or should I just carry on, I don't know. For fuck sakes.

~~

I woke up to the sound of nothing. Feeling nothing. I reached over to her side of the bed and she was gone. I jolted up. Seeing that I wasn't in the same room as I was with her. Then last night, I remembered last night.

She went to the bar, someone almost forced them self on her, Wyatt helped and brought her back and I waited for her to come back. When I saw her she was scared. She didn't know what to do. Tell me the truth. It had to be someone I know. Or someone I hate and she knows them and doesn't want them to get hurt. Or she just doesn't want to tell me.

I walked up the five stairs, I missed the soft skin. I miss everything about her. I want to hold her and tell her how sorry I am for leaving her when she needed me the most after what she went through. But I left her. I left her alone last night. But I was too angry. She was ready to leave and stop what ever this is because she was protecting them.

I opened the door with my key and too see her no where to be seen. Her bed was a mess saying she was still here. I walked further in the room. To see the bathroom door wide open. I saw her on her knees being sick in the toilet. I looked around to see the bobble on the side and rushed over. And came back to her. I grabbed her hair and put it up.

I rubbed her back. She be's sick one last time before lifting up. Lifting up to look at me. Her ocean blue eyes stare into mine. "You came."